The Baby-Sitter Incident: Early in his NHL career, as he was emerging as a bona fide star in St. Louis, Gilmour was sued by a St. Louis couple, who claimed he had sexually abused their daughter over a period of months, beginning when she was 13. The couple's daughter had been working as a baby-sitter for the Gilmours, often spending entire nights at the house while she cared for the couple's baby girl, Maddison, who was born in 1985. The couple demanded $1 million in damages, charging that Gilmour repeatedly had sex with their daughter while she was staying in his home. In their lawsuit, the couple alleged that Gilmour's wife and Blues team officials were aware of the incident but chose to do nothing. The suit, filed Aug. 30, 1988, was entirely civil in nature, since police never filed criminal charges against Gilmour. In fact, St. Louis County prosecutor George Westfall said the girl's family had never come to the authorities requesting a criminal investigation and said he saw the accusation as a blatant attempt at extortion. Westfall said the family had begun its endeavor by asking the Blues for more than $200,000 in order not to go public with their allegations, and that prosecutors might investigate the family to see if criminal charges were in order. Despite all of this, negative publicity surrounding the case hurt Gilmour's popularity with fans and made it difficult for him to continue playing in the city. Gilmour initially refused to comment on the lawsuit, but his first wife, Robyne, was quick to deny the allegations and said her husband was not guilty in any way. But the damage had been done. Gilmour, who later joined his wife in denying the charges, was plagued by prank phone calls to his home, while Blues officials were unhappy at being asked by the media to comment on the issue. The firestorm ended in early September 1988, when the Blues traded Gilmour to Calgary. Due to the controversy, St. Louis was unable to deal Gilmour for fair value and had to settle for a seven-player deal that clearly favored Calgary. After the trade, Gilmour reiterated that the accusations were an extortion effort and had done nothing but humiliate his entire family. He said he had not asked to be traded but recognized he would be better off in another city. "This has jeopardized my career," he said at a press conference after the trade. On Oct. 4, 1988, Gilmour and his first wife countersued the girl's family for $4 million, charging them with slander and libel. On Oct. 22, 1988, the attorney for the girl's family was charged with trying to extort hush money from the Blues organization. Despite his efforts to clear his name and the obvious flaws in the girl's family's case, the 1988-89 season was a nightmare for Gilmour, as he was subjected to taunts from fans everywhere. In the long run he didn't need to worry about his hockey career. He went on to greater heights in the NHL, while the case against him never made it to court. On Dec. 27, 1988, a St. Louis County grand jury ruled there was insufficient evidence to press sexual assault charges against Gilmour, and the case was promptly dismissed. Gilmour, who sat for two hours of grand jury questioning, expressed great relief at the ruling and turned his focus back to the Flames, who went on to win the 1989 Stanley Cup.
